Begining of a new age
by Swordtip
Summary: A previously unknow wizard, travels twords Waterdeep. Can he make it, or will the forces working against him stop him before he finds his destiny.


-1He stands in the darkness, silent and still. Each deep breath is filled with cool damp night air. The grass beneath his feet is damp and tickles as it moves ever so little in the gentle breeze. Some small bug crawls over his foot and the sensation races to the brain. A light rain begins to fall. He closes his eyes and my tips his head back. He raises his arms to spread wide. The raindrops feel like a million small needles. But he seems to not mind, it is a welcome feeling soothing and yet it is exciting. A shiver runs down his spine, and he finds that he is cold and soaked.

The only refuge in site is a single tree atop a small rise. On this late of a day in fall the branches offered very little shelter from the rain but it does not matter. He sits cross-legged beneath the meager canopy. The low sound of chanting leaves his lips. When he finishes the rain ends and the clouds leave the sky. He steps out from under the shelter.

"I would rather travel in the sun." he spoke to wind.

A distant scream jolts him from his thoughts. Far off to his right a caravan is under attack from some group of bandits, as he observes a fireball leaps from a close by hill top and strikes one of the wagons and sends burning timber in a wide arc.

"Well it seems they need some help." With that he makes a wide arc with his hand and speaks a few words and a silver disk appears before him. A single step through the disk brings him in to the middle of the skirmish. He glances around to find few of the caravan defenders alive, the final few are engaged in combat with the bandits. Four of the bandits move straight for him noticing his appearance out of thin air. He cries an incantation and magic missiles erupt from his fingertips, each hitting an advancing bandit. As they are stuck their feet leave the ground and they are thrown back away from the magic wielder.

The mage now focuses he mind on a more powerful attack spell that will allow him to stop the enemy magic use from casting. As he searches the hills for his target he realizes that he can no longer hear the sounds off battle. No sound reaches him even though the combat has not ended. The enemy mage has dropped a sphere of silence around him. And now he steps up over a hill top and was deep in the motions of a spell.

Silent laughing to himself, the new arrival concentrated a bit more on the lighting bolt spell that he had prepared and went thought it in his mind. As he reached its end he made the motion that would normally follow the verbal component of a spell. From his palm a lighting bolt soared. As it raced toward its target it seared the grass along its path. It struck true and the enemy mage rolled down the other side of the hill. With one last ground ward gesture the last bandits that were still engaged with the defenders sunk up their necks in the ground, and the earth hardened around them.

"Thank you for your help. You are a great mage." The mage turned back towards the wagons. Right in front of him stood a short, chubby man. "What is your name?"

"Sydney. Are traveling to Waterdeep?"

We are. We would be clad to have you along if you are heading that way." the caravan master added with a smile. "It is the least we can do for the help that you have provided."

"I think I will take that offer." Sydney replied, his expression not changing a bit.

"There is only one problem. That wagon," he motioned to the remains of the burned wagon, "contained all of our food supplies and cooking equipment."

Well then, allow me to offer one more service." Sydney turned to the charred wagon and went into an incantation. As he spoke the remaining fires went out and the burnt wood retuned and reassembled the wagon. Soon the wagon was complete and no one would ever have known that it was at one time it had been destroyed by fire.

Sydney stepped back and the caravan master stared in wonder "The wagon is just like new. You truly are very powerful."

"All the contents are also intact, everything right down to the last crumb of bread." The caravan master had no need to check this claim he had no doubt that it was true. And with that Sydney took a place in the back of one of the wagons and the caravan continued on its way to the City of Splendors, Waterdeep. Sydney hoped that the city could provide some clue to his personal mystery.


End file.
